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Ihab Khiri

Keep in mind that you cannot have a rainbow without a little rain!

New Media and Digital Cultures (Media Studies), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Class of 2009 (Graduated in 2012)

What was important in making up your mind?I have learned during my time at IBCoM that I am the only one that knows what I truly aspire. For me it was important for me to choose a master that is a good continuation of IBCoM. Furthermore I preferred an English language master, which was structured according to the Dutch academic system. Also important was that my co-students were people I could partly identify myself with, i.e. that the group of students were diverse and international.

How would you describe the connection between IBCoM and your master?IBCoM discusses the basics of media offering insights on the transition between old media and new media, the New Media Master at the UVA gives very practical courses about using and in particular focuses on New media. Furthermore a connection is that both IBCoM and the Master offer plenty of space for own input, creativity and interest.

How would you describe your master?My Master is a very healthy balance between theory and practice. From one side one has to study media theories, which are pretty much abstract. At the other side there is a variety of projects and plenty of space to incorporate your own interest. Research takes an important place, however the emphasis is on New Media Research Practices, which are innovative, and I find more exciting than traditional social science research.

In hindsight, what would you have liked to have known before, what you know now?I would have liked to know that it does not really matter what one chooses, or that a ‘’wrong decision’’ leads to a better one. I have mentioned above that for me it was important that I could feel at place within the faculty. Although this is hard to figure out beforehand, I would advise you to visit a department beforehand and talk to some of your potential future professors. From experience I know that many students spend a lot of time researching masters online, solely relying on websites and written information. In addition to this our intuition beforehand is a very good instrument that tells us what we really want.

Any other points you would like to add?What we want, changes all the time and if you keep that in mind it also becomes easier to change your path later in life. Keep in mind that you cannot have a rainbow without a little rain!